wish i tried Z30 and OS 10 earlier

hashbrown has owned it for less than 3 months before publishing this review

Impressive technology and operating system. Works like a well-oiled machine. Never considered blackberry until a friend lent me his Z30. Within 2 weeks of trying z30 decided to switch from android (4.3) phone. Never looked back. This smartphone makes me go through daily errands on a whole new level of comfort. No more dropped calls or UI stuttering. No more worries about battery making through a day. Built-in security is great too. I would advise buying the flip-case accessory to keep the screen and interface ports protected (as well as extend battery life further).

Build quality9/10solid components. very nice feel to touching the screen. I would recommend flip case to cover ports from getting dirt and act as a phone and screen protector (no need for anti-scratch films).

Reception9/10better cellular reception than my previous phone (android phone by google). Still there are spots where it can't get any reception such as in a large shopping center with no windows, but this could also be partly due to my carrier.

Call quality9/10great audio equalization in either headset, speaker or headphones mode. the call quality at this point depends on the reception and phone quality of the person you're talking to.

Internet10/10great reach and speed, even when the "bars" show less than other phones. It extends the wifi coverage about 30% further than my previous android phone by google. The "Reader" mode is another great feature of the browser. By reformatting a site and removing the ads and clutter, it eliminates the need to constantly zoom in/out and pan left/right on mobile-unfriendly sites. It works on most sites (with some rare exceptions), and makes it similar to an e-book reader experience.

Multimedia10/10supports a very wide variety of file types natively. the playback is smooth. nice apps for audio, video - very similar to latest android.

Camera7/10overall a nice camera - does the job. Awesome "time shift" option and good HDR mode. However, i wish there was some control over exposure - in normal mode it sometimes tends to increase the ISO too much which results in grainy images under some lighting conditions. No panorama mode. Compared to iphone 5s it seems like Z30 uses a lens with a narrower field of view.

UI speed10/10Everything flies on this device. No stuttering or hesitation while navigating.

Everyday usage10/10A joy to use this smartphone, which emphasizes on functionality and practicality. Multitasking is amazing on this OS. I no longer worry about forgetting battery charger, as it lasts me usually around 2 days (medium-heavy load). Coming from a 2.5-year old android phone, this was like a breath of fresh air. The Blackberry 10 OS seems vastly different and improved from their older phones too, which never attracted me due to aging UI. Z30 works like a well-oiled machine - smooth and precise.

Text input10/10awesome keyboard. the haptic feedback is great. Best cursor navigation I've ever seen on any virtual keyboard - if you have large fingers, you will be quite pleased! The swipe gestures are terrific and do help me type faster (still learning the skill as I historically always typed out the entire word). The auto-correct is overall comparable to android, maybe a little better on blackberry.

Display9/10great contrast. I keep the the brightness at 25% which works magically in all settings including direct sunlight. My concern with using the phone in direct sunlight vanished when I tried it. My only complaint - 0% brightness is not dark enough at night!

Battery9/10Lasts me ~48 hours (i.e. 2 nights and days) on medium to heavy usage. Sometimes it goes into a 3rd day. Here's my usage:
-- usually up to 2 hours of talk time,
-- about 6 hours of internet usage (70% wifi, 30% 4G), including watching some youtube, liveleak etc.
-- roughly 2 hours of listening to music, as well as some audio streaming.
-- about 30 min of navigation by maps (GPS always on).
-- NFC, Bluetooth are always on as well.
-- Flashlight 20min (accumulated time).
-- alarm clock every day (snoozing at least 3 times...)

Pros

Terrific user interface on OS 10 (i can only compare to android and iphone)

Best

swisssri has owned it for less than 3 months before publishing this review

After getting the update 10.2.1, android apps are working well and good. Battery life is wonderful and the features are very good and seriously i'll recommend this one to others. Blackberry Hub : Where u can see all the messages like sms,whatsup,mail etc...

Build quality10/10

Reception10/10Excellent

Call quality10/10

Internet10/10

Multimedia10/10

Camera9/10

UI speed10/10

Everyday usage10/10

Text input10/10Its really wonderful as it predicts and due to this prediction the typing is good and very useful prediction.

Display10/10

Battery10/10I'm feeling very bad that i can't give 12 for the battery. Really wonderful battery life. My rating 12 out of 10

Pros

Battery Life is wonderful

Multimedia is good

Blackberry Hub : Where u can see all the messages like sms,whatsup,mail etc...

Cons

BlackBerry's productivity beast

calysto has owned it for less than year before publishing this review

The Z30 is an easy phone to overlook with its limited marketing and its competitors flooding the market with quad core devices. However, it fills a niche that isn't well capitalized upon in the market - productivity and messaging first, entertainment second, all on a large 5" touchscreen slab.

First to mention are the additional features it has over its better known sibling, the Z10. The Z30 sports a 2800 mAh massive battery that can easily last a full day even under heavy usage (a rarity in the modern smartphone universe), supports miracast, USB on-the-go and wifi direct, has a paratek antenna, FM radio support and improved graphics chip. Its speakers have also been vastly improved. So there are quite a number of useful additional features that the Z30 can support that can justify an upgrade from a Z10, which is where I came from.

Secondly, onto the phone itself. Its major strong points are in its integrated messaging hub and quick response notifications, some of which iOS8 is now incorporating into its iteration. No phone allows me to respond as fast to emails, organize events and group tasks as well as this phone does. It's definitely more of a workhorse phone for the business crowd than a play phone for the masses. Its UI takes some learning to get used to, but once you do you will absolutely fly between apps. The multitasking on this phone is truly something for others to imitate. As well, the typing experience is something else and rivals the speed at which users can...

The Z30 is an easy phone to overlook with its limited marketing and its competitors flooding the market with quad core devices. However, it fills a niche that isn't well capitalized upon in the market - productivity and messaging first, entertainment second, all on a large 5" touchscreen slab.

First to mention are the additional features it has over its better known sibling, the Z10. The Z30 sports a 2800 mAh massive battery that can easily last a full day even under heavy usage (a rarity in the modern smartphone universe), supports miracast, USB on-the-go and wifi direct, has a paratek antenna, FM radio support and improved graphics chip. Its speakers have also been vastly improved. So there are quite a number of useful additional features that the Z30 can support that can justify an upgrade from a Z10, which is where I came from.

Secondly, onto the phone itself. Its major strong points are in its integrated messaging hub and quick response notifications, some of which iOS8 is now incorporating into its iteration. No phone allows me to respond as fast to emails, organize events and group tasks as well as this phone does. It's definitely more of a workhorse phone for the business crowd than a play phone for the masses. Its UI takes some learning to get used to, but once you do you will absolutely fly between apps. The multitasking on this phone is truly something for others to imitate. As well, the typing experience is something else and rivals the speed at which users can type with using Swiftkey or Swype. Once the system learns which words you use, most of your sentences can be completed with upward "flicks" rather than typing entire words.

That said, it does support Android apps, which can be downloaded easily using the Amazon app store or another client such as Snap. Android app functionality is not perfect, which for me is the last remaining piece of the puzzle. This is not the phone for you if you need absolutely every app out there to work perfectly. That said, staples such as Instagram, Netflix, Pinterest, Google Maps and Shazam all function fine. It's the more Google-integrated apps such as Google Hangouts that won't function properly.

It may not have the fastest processor out there, but I have had no issue with lag, even when playing more intensive games. I suspect the bump in the GPU from the Z10 is the culprit. As well, sound on this device is extremely good - rivalling that of the best-in-class HTC One and its "boomsound", and these two phones represent the very best sound quality you can get on any mobile phone speakers to date.

All in all, this is a quality device that is more oriented towards messaging and work capacities than gaming and multimedia, which provides a good niche for those who want to have some entertainment on their otherwise productivity-oriented phone.

Build quality8/10Very robust and well-built, but not as fancy as the HTC One M8 or iPhone 5s

Reception10/10Paratek Antenna. never dropped a call and always get strong signals

Call quality10/10Top notch with the best-in-class speakers

Internet10/10Recently revealed to have the fastest mobile browser in tests

Multimedia8/10Have to install Android apps for most multimedia support, but a minor inconvenience

Camera6/10Not the best camera out there and doesn't pretend to be. Functional.

UI speed10/10Very slick and polished UI. None of the lag that many non-flagship Android phones experience after a few months.

amazing phone

hamzeh has owned it for less than 3 months before publishing this review

This phone is very comfortable to use (I do not find it heavy). Reception is excellent in coverage extremes. The sound is powerful, and stereo does make a difference. Still wishing for more applications available in BB World store
The hub and its peek gesture is great!

Build quality10/10

Reception10/10

Call quality10/10

Internet10/10

Multimedia10/10

Camera10/10

UI speed10/10

Everyday usage10/10

Text input10/10

Display9/10

Battery10/10

Pros

great batter, great download speeds , great speakers, great display , amazing software

Cons

Great PhonE !!

cezopa has owned it for less than month before publishing this review

A super phone powered by blackberry new 10. also you must really update to 10.2.1 added new features you will woow ! you musnt compare an androıd and a bb os device or iOS device cuz bb os and iOS doesnt need to be supercharged specs like android. Even Z10 I bet can rape all android phones now ! buy it !!

BlackBerry Z30 - The best phone you've probably never heard of

rfield701 has owned it for less than 3 months before publishing this review

Z30 pros:

battery is a beast - Watched a movie on the flat screen, played music all day, CB, internet browsing, Blaq, lots of BBM's, facebook, few active frames open. Still going like a champ 53% left after 15 hours.

Build quality great - Has a much better premium feel than the Z10, heavier than comparable devices but some may think that's a pro/con

keyboard/hub - self explanatory if you need to get stuff done and be efficient there is nothing better

Speakers - Amazing speaker set on this phone. Great pure sound on a cellphone.

OS much more fluid/integrated - I found Android so cluttered everything is much more integrated on BB10 I can be in one app and go into multiple apps within the same app. (will make sense to you if you have a BB10 device)

-Not enough customization (lockscreen/OS/settings) - on Android you can switch it up to just about anything you wish. This is one area just like Apple they're lacking in

-No G Play store- Personally I only run so many I have about 90% covered in BB World and the rest I've either sideloaded or direct installed with Snap but everybody always harps on APPS APPS APPS you only have X number of them. So well this would solve the dilemma in theory.

-camera subpar, features& low light performance - Its not great to be honest...

Z30 pros:

battery is a beast - Watched a movie on the flat screen, played music all day, CB, internet browsing, Blaq, lots of BBM's, facebook, few active frames open. Still going like a champ 53% left after 15 hours.

Build quality great - Has a much better premium feel than the Z10, heavier than comparable devices but some may think that's a pro/con

keyboard/hub - self explanatory if you need to get stuff done and be efficient there is nothing better

Speakers - Amazing speaker set on this phone. Great pure sound on a cellphone.

OS much more fluid/integrated - I found Android so cluttered everything is much more integrated on BB10 I can be in one app and go into multiple apps within the same app. (will make sense to you if you have a BB10 device)

-Not enough customization (lockscreen/OS/settings) - on Android you can switch it up to just about anything you wish. This is one area just like Apple they're lacking in

-No G Play store- Personally I only run so many I have about 90% covered in BB World and the rest I've either sideloaded or direct installed with Snap but everybody always harps on APPS APPS APPS you only have X number of them. So well this would solve the dilemma in theory.

-camera subpar, features& low light performance - Its not great to be honest for a top of the line flagship model the camera features should be better.

Cons

The Only REAL Competitor to Android's Larger Screened Phones

freddysrevng has owned it for less than 3 months before publishing this review

Prior to purchasing the BlackBerry Z30 - I did quite an extensive search... Here's what I found...

Apple iPhone 5S - Screen is just "too small for serious consideration"
Galaxy S4 - I had an S3 found the software to be buggy and the screen was horrible to type on - S4 did not seem "different enough" to me.
LG G2 - pretty nice new phone - but listen to the tinny speaker and I though that would be indicative of the overall build quality.
HTC One - OK Phone - actually found that the speaker system on the Z30 was superior to the "Beats speakers" on HTC One..
Nokia - never really considered them as an option... personal bias

So after spending time with each of these phones - I purchased the BlackBerry Z30.

Having owned a Z10 - I know that you can side load Instagram, Netflix and other apps on a BlackBerry - and when they update the software, soon, to 10.2.1 - you will be able to load Android Apps very easily on the Z30, Z10 and Q10.

That being said - I am more about "productivity and security" and that is where BlackBerry excels...

- Touchscreen Keyboard - BEST on Market.... period... no constant mistakes in typing messages.... BEST... even BGR admitted this to be the case on their Z10
review...
- 25 hour battery life - lasts 2 full days on one charge - easily
- 6 speaker "Natural Sound System" - Best on Any Smartphone for listening to music, hands free calls and BBM Video... better than "Beats" on HTC One.
- easy sync with Outlook for business and iTunes for play on BlackBerry...

Prior to purchasing the BlackBerry Z30 - I did quite an extensive search... Here's what I found...

Apple iPhone 5S - Screen is just "too small for serious consideration"
Galaxy S4 - I had an S3 found the software to be buggy and the screen was horrible to type on - S4 did not seem "different enough" to me.
LG G2 - pretty nice new phone - but listen to the tinny speaker and I though that would be indicative of the overall build quality.
HTC One - OK Phone - actually found that the speaker system on the Z30 was superior to the "Beats speakers" on HTC One..
Nokia - never really considered them as an option... personal bias

So after spending time with each of these phones - I purchased the BlackBerry Z30.

Having owned a Z10 - I know that you can side load Instagram, Netflix and other apps on a BlackBerry - and when they update the software, soon, to 10.2.1 - you will be able to load Android Apps very easily on the Z30, Z10 and Q10.

That being said - I am more about "productivity and security" and that is where BlackBerry excels...

- Touchscreen Keyboard - BEST on Market.... period... no constant mistakes in typing messages.... BEST... even BGR admitted this to be the case on their Z10
review...
- 25 hour battery life - lasts 2 full days on one charge - easily
- 6 speaker "Natural Sound System" - Best on Any Smartphone for listening to music, hands free calls and BBM Video... better than "Beats" on HTC One.
- easy sync with Outlook for business and iTunes for play on BlackBerry Link - also handles picture, video and document sync - Easily
- Repeat iTunes Sync is EASY on BlackBerry Link
- 5 inch Super Amoled Display - Gorgeous....
- Camera - more than sufficient - may be a better one out there - never an issue
- 1080 HD video recording.... Terrific
- Browser - excellent - as a matter of fact on "HTML Tests" performs better than most competitors..

Bottom line.... if you ever owned a BlackBerry and liked anything about it - you should give this phone a try... if you are looking for a phone with an amazing 5 inch screen - you should consider this phone as an Android alternative.

This ain't the BlackBerry you used to have....

If you are smart enough to be able to learn a few "swipe gestures" on this phone - you will never go back to a phone with a "home button" again...

Build quality10/10Solid on every parameter.

Reception10/10NEVER drop calls - new antenna technology on Z30 will allow call reception where you could only wish in the past.

Call quality10/10So much better than my Galaxy S3 and no dropping of calls.

Internet10/10HTML5 scores the Internet experience on new BB10 BlackBerrys to be some of the best in the market...

Multimedia10/10Best speakers, Great Screen, iTunes Sync, not an app on the planet that I can't get.

Camera9/10There may be a better camera out there - this one never holds me back.

UI speed10/10Lightening fast and fluid.

Everyday usage10/10Incredible Productivity.

Text input10/10Best Touchscreen Keyboard on the Planet...Full Stop.

Display10/10Bigger and brighter than the one on my Galaxy S3... Love it...

amazing phone

gamma has owned it for less than month before publishing this review

its an alomost perfect phone , i have used htc one , iphone 5 and samsung s3 , i got to say the z30 gave me more fun and more soul than all of these, i cant believe it sounds better than the htc one , plus its quality is stunning ....in my point of view best smartphone ever made .

Build quality9/10really great quality, only phone that might beat it in build quality is the iphone

Reception10/10perfect reception and really high downlaod speed of 3g network , faster than anything i have used

Call quality10/10perfect with the 4 mics and never had any problems with calls

Internet10/10faster than chrome and iphone safari , i used all of them

Multimedia9/10great display , still can be better , but i am very pleased with it and stunning sound production

Camera8/10camera is on above average , better than most smartphones out there but not the best , iphone and some Android devices can beat it in this category

UI speed10/10cant ask for a better ui speed and no bottoms needed to control it , which gives it edge over any phone out there

Everyday usage10/10great battery , very piratical, eye candy

Text input10/10everyone know bb10 keyboard is the best , and it made me forget about the physical keyboards in a matter of 2 weeks

Display9/10great display , could have been better, but very good and pleasing

Battery9/10battery is amazing , best batter performance on a 5 inch phone

Pros

great batter, great download speeds , great speakers, great display , amazing software

Cons

One of the best.

pierre5018 has owned it for less than month before publishing this review

This phone is very comfortable to use (I do not find it heavy). Reception is excellent in coverage extremes. The sound is powerful, and stereo does make a difference. Still wishing for more applications available in BB World store (e.g. Google apps). The hub and its peek gesture is great!

Build quality10/10

Reception10/10

Call quality10/10

Internet10/10

Multimedia10/10

Camera8/10

UI speed10/10

Everyday usage9/10Some apps are not available, but much less of an issue now

All I can say: AWESOME!

Zeeya has owned it for less than month before publishing this review

Hey,
Its a very great Phone and definitely the best BlackBerry Phone so far!
No matter if you are an iPhone User or an Android User I will be sure you will love this Phone.
For some the Love won't be Strong enough to make a switch (Multimedia lacks).
But I personally fell in love with this phone.
It's just an awesome phone and I'm very happy with it.
Try it out!

Build quality10/10Its just High Quality. Words just can't explain. Pls go to the next Phone Store and take by the hand this beatiful phone yourself!

Reception10/10Hey, It's a BlackBerry.. what else?
Now with better technology: The Paratek Antenna Technology!

Call quality10/10Just Briliant

Internet10/10New improved Browser. Its better than on the Z10 & Co and its also better than most high end Android Phones.

Multimedia9/10The Z30 is a multimedia Phone BUT compared to an iPhone or some high end Android Phones they still have to improve.
But don't worry they work on the Software and Updates will change this situation to a better one. Frequently updates.
The New Natural Sound technology is just awesome and is even better than the Sound on the HTC ONE.

Camera9/10The Camera is great.
In the dark its just Ok.
Don't understand why they used a 8MPX Cam.
10+ would be better....
But, dont get me wrong: The Cam is very Great, just not the best on the Market.

UI speed10/10ITS BB10.2 Dude!!! BEST OS and UI in the Market.

Everyday usage10/10Its for Multimedia Freaks, For Business People, For Everybody!!!

Text input10/10Every Body says that even the BlackBerry Haters do! ITS THE BEST KEYBOARD ON EARTH! YES THE BEST!!!

Display10/10Its brilliant even its not Full HD.
The Display Specs are actually a bad joke, but hey.. my eyes telling me a different story. My eyes loves the display. So therefore 10 POINTS!

Battery10/10My experience:
I use my phone almost all the time.
I Surf pretty much, Soundcloud, BBM, WhatsApp, lots of Emails....
around 16hours.
Thats actually very good.
On my Z10 I had just 8hours.

guy

guystone has owned it for less than month before publishing this review

All around great phone - one of the best. Hardware wise I'd rate it slightly lower than the Galaxy S4 but much more modern and advanced than the IPhone 5. The phone quality (software stability / hardware) is built better than the Samsung S4 and just slightly lower than the IPhone 5. Overall a versatile and well built phone for personal and business use. I'd definitely recommend it to anyone for any use if they want to try something new.

Build quality10/10

Reception10/10

Call quality10/10

Internet10/10

Multimedia10/10

Camera10/10

UI speed10/10

Everyday usage10/10

Text input10/10

Display10/10

Battery10/10

Pros

huge battery

beautiful screen

great cameras / video

works as a speaker phone in business conference with the quad mics and stereo speakers

HTC One M9 camera review: Exploring every corner of the Sense camera app

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